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Title Political and Media Discourse in Pakistan: A Genre Analysis of the Letters to the Editors in Selected English Print Media

Author(s) Maryam Batool

Abstract Print media discourses are viewed as one of the best sites for ideological investment. The propagation of desired ideologies is carried through various genres within newspapers. The present study attempts to analyze letters to editor section focusing on social issues in three Pakistani English Newspapers such as ‘Dawn’, ‘Express Tribune’, and ‘The Nation’ daily. The time span for the present study ranges from February 1st, 2023 – March 31st, 2023. The present research employed an amended model based on Bhatia’s (1993) Genre analysis; Fairclough’s 2003 and 2013 research models. The rationale behind using Fairclough’s two research models is to devise a CSA (Critical Social Analysis) based research model because most of the letters which appeared in the mentioned newspapers deal with social issues of different kinds, and the levels of analysis include representation, metaphor, lexicalization, othering, comparison and presupposition, Marxist critique, normative critique, etc. The prominent themes in selected Pakistani newspapers—“The Nation,” “Express Tribune,” and “Dawn”—reveals varying priorities that cater to their readerships. The findings of the study reveal that Dawn prioritizes socio-political issues; 29% letters appeared in “Dawn” over the time period of two months addressed social issues and 25% of the letters were related to political issues; while issues related to education have been discussed frequently resulting in 24%; and issues like health, religion, and gender have been discussed less frequently with 12%, 8%, and 2%, respectively. However, “The Nation” focuses more on the educational issues, with 30% of letters on issues related to educational systems and critiques government policies and other national challenges to seek solutions. Health and gender issues are relatively less discussed in The Nation newspaper’s letters to the editor section with 8% and 1%, respectively. While, political theme is prevalent in the letters collected from Express Tribune for the mentioned time period. Religious and gender issues emerge as relatively minor themes based on their frequency in the letters. In contrast, the “Express Tribune” prioritizes political themes the most, accounting for 28%, followed by education at 26% and social issues at 25%. Health issues receive 14% of the focus, with gender and religious themes at 5% and 2% respectively. These findings of the study reveal each newspaper’s unique editorial focus and the diverse interests of their readers.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Faculty of Arts and Humanities

Department English (Multan Campus)

Language English

Publication Date 2025-08-21

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